PREPARATION FOR A SHOOT IN THE DISCOVERY COMMONS

at least one technician will be with you taking care of all of the technical considerations, and a director may be present as well.

the shoot will be done with 1, 2 or 3 cameras, depending on the situation, and may include any of the following:

one camera that will be capturing you from approximately the waist up or only the head and shoulders

another camera that will be a wider shot, capturing you and any others in the shoot from head to toe

a third camera that will capture the other subjects from approximately the waist up or only the head and shoulders

because there may be elements in the field of view of the camera or noise over which we have no control, there may be times that we'll need to interrupt the shooting of the interview until the disruption has passed.

the technician will likely ask for a sound check for your microphone level before you begin. Use the same voice as you will you during the shoot: not louder, not softer

On-Camera Tips and Guidelines

turn off your phone

avoid tapping (especially on the table, if there is one), coughing, rustling of paper

do not look at the camera, the technician, or any other people that may be in the room

if you need to look elsewhere to think--not everyone can look directly at someone else all the time--find a place in the room to which your eyes can wander that isn't in line with the cameras

as much as possible, reduce ums and ahs while you speak

you will be captured by the camera even when somepne else in the video is speaking and the main camera is on them

if applicable, you should appear interested in what they are doing and saying by nodding and otherwise reacting (silently) as appropriate, without overacting, and do not vocalize while they are speaking (eg: uh huh, yes, mmhmm, throat clearing, etc)

if you are considering having notes to refer to, be aware that these will appear in the video and may not be appropriate, depending on the nature of the video

if your use of notes has been cleared:

don't read from them. If necessary, refer to them quickly, look up and pause, and then speak

ensure that the notes you need are only on one page to eliminate paper rustling

you can take breaks as necessary.

when you are finished a section or need to take a break, maintain your position and eye contact for 2- 3 seconds after your last word. That is, do not look at the camera or technicians, laugh, vocalize, roll your eyes, say "whew!" etc, until 2 - 3 seconds has passed. This allows time for a fade out or an edit to another shot in the finished video.

be succinct and to the point. Avoid repeating yourself and using different words to say the same thing

if you make an error in an response or trip on your words, you can pause and then redo it. If it's easy to do, go back to the beginning and redo it; if you've successfully covered a fair amount of ground, just redo the sentence where you made the mistake. We can edit out the mistake.

in conversation or presentations, we often begin our sentences with certain words, such as, "So," or "Well." Try to avoid this.

While not very noticeable in regular conversation, it is noticeable and potentially distracting in videos

It will be pointed out to you if you're doing this (you likely don't realize you're doing it).

Hair, Make up, and Wardrobe

Unfortunately, we don’t have a budget for hair, make up, or wardrobe, but we do have a mirror in the studio. Here are some tips on what to wear:

* If you normally wear make up, wear the same amount as you usually do* Avoid bright, reflective jewelry* Do NOT wear a jacket or top with small patterns, such as tight stripes or herringbone, as this will shimmer on the video (Moire effect) and be distracting